Approaching the end of a lengthy season, the Southern Lehigh Speech and Debate team has pushed through a series of highly competitive tournaments, including a series of state qualifiers. Although the team is entering a break, some members are gearing up to deliver their best performances of the year to win bids and qualify for national tournaments.
“It’s about honing in on very specific details in my speech, so I’ve been thinking about the visual aids in my speech and working on specific parts of my speech and enunciation,” junior and team captain Orrin Bossert said.
This season, Bossert and fellow junior and speech captain Wyatt Hartenstine were the only two students from Southern Lehigh to qualify for the Tournament of Champions, a prestigious speech and debate competition held at the University of Kentucky in April. Both qualified by winning two bids in other tournaments. Bossert will compete in Informative Speaking (INF), which focuses on educating and informing an audience. In contrast, Hartenstine will compete in Original Oratory (OO), where students inform or persuade the audience with their own written speeches.
Although Speech and Debate lacks the recognition that other clubs and sports get, they work tirelessly to sharpen their abilities. During the school year, the team travels to full-day Saturday tournaments, where students compete head-to-head in debate events or aim to perfect their public speaking in speech events. Most team members are quick to admit that Speech and Debate requires a tremendous amount of dedication and work.
“Even if you compete once or twice a year, it’s a lot of work to either write a piece or cut up an interpretation or keep up with current events,” Hartenstine said.
Despite the commitment that comes with Speech and Debate, many tournaments are a welcome and exciting experience for the team.
“[The Harvard Invitational Speech and Debate Tournament] is always a highlight for the team. It’s a great trip,” physics teacher and team coach Mr. David Long said. “Out of the 14 kids that went [this year], five won awards.”
For Hartenstine and other team members, Speech and Debate has allowed them to develop both their speaking skills and their confidence.
“The most important lesson I’ve learned [is] how to talk in front of people, whether I know them or don’t,” Hartenstine said. “The amount of people used to make me more or less nervous. But as I’ve competed more, it has slowly just gone away.”
Students interested in Speech and Debate may balk at the idea of public speaking or challenging others’ arguments. However, Mr. Long believes you don’t need to be a social butterfly to succeed and have fun on the team.
“[They] don’t have to be outgoing. But there has to be a bit of strength in their personality,” Mr. Long said. “There are some people who are more introverted on the team, but there is still a presence they can generate.”
